If you are anything like me at all, then one thing we have in common is the seemingly endless search for Batteries! There in everything! Our TV, our remote, the stereo, the DVD Player! Our vehicle needs one! (BIG batteries). Our Camera, our MP3 Players, Watches, Kids Toys (small batteries) Adult Toys (umm, not gonna guess size on this one. grin) Fact is, there everywhere! In my day-to-day search I find myself looking for common batteries with common names, like double-A’s, Lithium-ions, and 9 Volts; and on rarer occasions I find myself trying to conjure up some of the more obscure ones like sr626sw or 2032 button cells. That is why I consider it necessary to bring up both the positivity and pitfalls of that one thing we all must turn to purchase in that time of dire need… Discount Batteries! Wal-Mart Brands, K-mart specials! They suit the purpose when we need them, and they can be a pain in the behind to get rid of ‘responsibly’ (recycling is important folks!) when we don’t. Nevertheless, like them or not, they are here to stay… At least for the foreseeable future.
Just recently I have come across a somewhat stressfull situation (for me at least) which caused my wireless keyboard to malfunction as my batteries neared the end of their life cycle, periodically cutting out and working against me, attempting to bring about my untimely demise in a heated Skyrim battle more than once. So I decided it was time for the inevitable change. Grabbing a couple of old AA’s I tested previously and had set aside in the ‘not quite dead yet’ pile, I set about my task of removing and replacing as my character stood helpless (I was unable to pause the game) only to discover tragedy had struck again! Wrong kind of batteries! The keyboard takes Triple A’s, not Double A’s! “NOOO!” So the hunt began again, frantically this time; Rooting through drawers and cupboards, pulling open remotes and childrens toy cars. Leaving a poor computer generated life at stake for close to half an hour before I finally had a ‘Eureka!’ and remembered that I had set a couple aside in a different drawer the other day! ‘YES!’
Batteries held like sword in hand, I marched triumphantly back to the keyboard ready to bring my character (a Wood Elf named Nar’Aviir for those who are interested) some much needed security in the form of my otherworldly control, and to my great chagrin there lay my Avatar among the grasses and greenery, axe aloft. Dead.
The Great Dragonborn of Nirn, defeated by a lowly Skeever-rat (who was coincidentally still nipping at the now-defunct hero’s heels). Tragic indeed.
Had the batteries in my keyboard had been of better quality instead of the low-budget garbage I had bought in the first place, or had I simply bought more (they were, after all, only $5 for 15.) perhaps the Great Hero would have survived…
Luckily, in the video game world I can reload. What would I have done had the battle been a real one, and my light saber, laser pistol, or cloaking device had run out?! Know where your batteries are, and have them at hand at all times, be it piles of cheapo’s or a couple of the quality brands, Lives may be at stake. (at least computer-generated ones)
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